"Maybe I'll fall so in love with this role that I'll run for another term"
Emil Thors is the new president of the student union in Östersund. Student political issues, student representation and the new co-ownership within Cultum are important issues he wants to pursue in the future.
But above all, he believes, and wants it as a message to all new students, the commitment within the student union is about it being fun.
"It's a really fun thing to do, to be part of the union. For me, student life has become so much better because I have been involved and met so many different people from different educations," he says.
Emil, who is 22 years old and comes from Sundsvall, started studying at the social work program in Östersund in the autumn of 2021. Soon after the start of his studies, he joined the union and has in recent years been involved in the soa section and later sat on the union board. Taking the step of running for president was not huge, even if it meant that he is now pausing his studies with only one semester left of his education.
"Maybe I had actually intended to first graduate before I jumped on this role, but now the circumstances were such that I ran now instead.
The circumstances he is talking about are partly that the previous chairman, Simon Oodolese, graduated in the spring and chose to end his chairmanship in connection with that. But also that the student union is short of staff this autumn as one of the employees is on parental leave.
New collaboration on Cultum and kick-off weeks
Now an eventful period awaits. Student political issues and student influence are a large part of the job as union president that Emil wants to work with. In addition, the Cultum restaurant on campus is being rebuilt. The restaurant, where the union is still the majority owner, has new partners.
Not to mention that the kick-off weeks will soon start. On September 1 and for two weeks ahead, the Student Union's special kick-off committee will be the organizers of, among other things, the classic raft race down in Badhusparken, "Prisoners on Campus", a large sittning, "Storsjöjakten" and several other fun activities.
Wants to return to Botkyrka
Emil Thors has been elected as chairman for one year. What awaits after that, he does not know himself.
"We'll see, maybe I'll fall so in love with this role that I'll run another term of office later," he says.
What he definitely knows is that after graduating from the social work programme, he wants to return to Botkyrka in Stockholm, where he did his internship.
"I want to get back there, to Botkyrka. My biggest dream is to work with children and young people in the social services.
More about the new restaurant on campus